Intrahepatic infusional therapy for metastatic ovarian carcinoma

Abstract

Twenty-four women with ovarian carcinoma that had metastasized to the liver were treated with intrahepatic infusional therapy. No consistent drug regimen was used. There were no complete responders; however, 33% had a partial response. All responses were noticed after the first course of therapy. The median length of response was 6.3 months. The median survival from the time of the first hepatic infusion was 7.5 months for all patients. In this series, there were two treatment-related deaths, one secondary to the chemotherapy, the other to improper catheter placement. Because of the multiplicity of chemotherapy regimens employed, no definite conclusions can be made concerning the efficacy of intrahepatic infusional therapy for metastatic ovarian carcinoma. It is suggested that its future use be restricted to patients with disease limited to the liver and who are being treated according to a study protocol.

Cannabinoids reduce granuloma‐associated angiogenesis in rats by controlling transcription and expression of mast cell protease‐5

“…Angiogenesis occurs both in physiological processes, such as wound healing ( Trabucchi et al ., 1988 ) and placental development ( Augustin et al ., 1995 ) and in many pathological conditions, including solid tumours ( Folkman, 1995 ), diabetic retinopathy ( Mohamed et al ., 2007 ), rheumatoid arthritis ( Malone et al ., 1987 ) and other inflammatory disorders ( Hunt et al ., 1984 ; Toda et al ., 2000 ). The importance of MCs in orchestrating the processes of angiogenesis is now well recognized, as these cells are in close proximity to blood vessels and release a plethora of pro‐angiogenic mediators.…”